Originally Published: Project Syndicate, 5 June 2019
With the latest election, the European Parliament seems to have taken a small but important step toward becoming a true expression of Europeans’ popular will. While many issues are still decided in the European Council, the balance of authority between European and national leaders now seems to be less lopsided.
European Parliament elections used to be a boring affair, forsaken by voters and barely noticed by the media. But the latest election, held in the last weekend of May, broke the mould, capturing attention as it confounded expectations. Voter turnout increased sharply this time, reaching just over 50%. And, in a second surprise, the pro-European center largely held its dominant position, with losses by the two major parties mostly offset by gains for the Liberals and especially the Greens.
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